1993-1994 School Year

Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger enjoyed drinking butterbeer at the inn, where they frequently encountered Rubeus Hagrid and other regulars as well. During the 1993–1994 school year, Harry was unable to go to Hogsmeade because of the events surrounding Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban. However, Harry snuck into Hogsmeade to have butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks with Ron and Hermione. There they overheard a group of Hogwarts professors talking with Cornelius Fudge about Sirius Black, thus unknowingly revealing to Harry the secret that Sirius was his godfather where Harry hid under their table to avoid being seen.

During the 1993 school year, owing to the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban, a number of Dementors were assigned to patrol Hogsmeade Village. This caused a certain amount of trouble for Madam Rosmerta, as it discouraged visitors due to the grim atmosphere that follows Dementors.

1995-1996 School Year

In the 1995-1996 school year, Harry's fifth year, needing a place to meet with other students who would later form Dumbledore's Army, Hermione chooses to meet at the Hog's Head, rather than the Three Broomsticks, as there would be more privacy there. This privacy proves illusory, which may be why Hermione chooses the Three Broomsticks for a later meeting with Harry, Luna Lovegood, and Rita Skeeter. At this meeting, Harry talks briefly with a morose Hagrid, who is thinking about his family, then is interviewed by Rita about his experience the previous year when Voldemort had returned for The Quibbler, as the main wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet is heavily influenced by the Ministry of Magic and refuses to print the truth about Voldemort's return.

1996-1997 School Year

While Harry, Hermione, and Ron do visit the Three Broomsticks in the 1996-1997 school year, Harry's sixth year, it is a cheerless visit, and culminates in the Trio seeing Katie Bell being cursed by a package she had apparently received there. As a result, Hogsmeade Weekends are canceled for the rest of the year.

Harry does pass the Three Broomsticks later in the year, with Professor Dumbledore, but they do not enter: Dumbledore tells Madam Rosmerta that he fancies a quieter drink and heads towards the Hog's Head. Returning from that trip, which had been cover for retrieval of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes from a mysterious cave, Harry and a greatly weakened Dumbledore return to Hogsmeade, where they are met by Madam Rosmerta who warns them of the Dark Mark floating over Hogwarts. She loans them brooms, and Harry and Dumbledore fly to the school, where the Battle of the Astronomy Tower soon begins.

Behind the scenes

The Shrunken Heads

According to Hermione Granger, in Sites of Historical Sorcery it is mentioned that the inn at Hogsmeade served as human headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion[2]. It is unknown if the inn mentioned in the book is The Three Broomsticks.

Because Ron and Hermione were forbidden to enter that day in the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Harry, who had his Invisibility Cloak with him, was the only one to overhear Fudge's conversation with the Hogwart's Professors about Sirius Black. Also for the film their conversation was moved to a private room with both Rubeus Hagrid and Filius Flitwick being absent.